Sunday, April 27, 2008

Notes to Self

My sketchbooks for It Itches* are dotted with questions I jotted down while working on the rough cartoons, so I'd remember to research or puzzle out the answers later on.

As I enter the home stretch, I keep running across them as I flip through looking for the bits and pieces to be used in finished drawings.

Here's a representative sample:

Miles Topeka to Kansas state fair?

Where do breasts go?

Length and curve of blade? Bloody?

Number of panes in Shetland window?

Lion? Unicorn?

Bird and squirrel can be friends?

Which fricking e has accent and is grave or aigu?

Fat baby pajamas?

Wolf toes?

Would she say this to him like that?

Mausoleum door locks?

Ask Leigh how large ballerina ass?

Ancient sheep face hair?

Table can support bear? Two bears?

How big should balls be?

Yeah. Just standard knitting book fodder.

Your encouragement in the comments to the last post is much appreciated. Please don't think I'm whining–the chance to publish a book is a blessing, and my worst day as a cartoonist is better than my best day trying not to smack rock-stupid university alumni across the face.

While the pen's busy the needles are idle, aside from occasional rounds on the second Primavera sock. I'm almost to the toe, and still loving the pattern. I expect to finish book and sock almost simultaneously.

I have promised myself that once the final packet of drawings flies off to Colorado, I may begin Sharon Miller's Wedding Ring Shawl. (Yes, I bought the pattern before it sold out. Nyah, nyah, nyah.) Mine will be worked in a handsome, red Merino laceweight. Of course, it's not as fine as the cobwebby Tinkerbell dental floss Mrs Miller recommends; so if I actually reach journey's end, the finished shawl won't slip through a wedding ring.

I wonder if that means I'd have to call it something else? If you call it a wedding ring shawl when it won't actually fit through a ring, does the Shetland lace cartel send goons to your apartment to shoot out your kneecaps?

I've always wondered about the wedding ring thing -- I mean what if you marry a REALLY large fingered man. Perhaps Jack's Giant (of the beanstalk fame), would have a ring the size of a hulu-hoop -- does that mean any shawl would be a wedding ring shawl for him?And along those lines, does this mean those tiny fingered people aren't allowed to have much more than tiny shawlette because they wear rings the size of bands for braces?Yes, these things keep me up at night, why do you ask?

If I may, let me throw out a bit of caution, however (and I hate to do it): just make sure you don't get yourself dooced (fourth paragraph from the bottom) by writing unappealing things about your job, as unappealing as the job itself may be. :D

***my best day trying not to smack rock-stupid university alumni across the face.*** - amazing that they even GRADUATED if they are that stupid. smart people are in the minority; I wish it were the other way around.

In case you're still wondering, an e with an accent ague/acute is...well, technically, the sound doesn't exist in English, but it's closest to the Canadian 'eh?'. An e with an accent grave is the 'e' as in 'wet', 'leg', or 'enchanting'.

(Actually, this is pretty easy to remember, because the e-accent-ague makes the same sound as as the first vowel in the word 'ague'.)

To echo what several previous posters have said, just get your hands on Bronko Nagurski's ring. Photo from the pro football hall of fame on this post: http://hpwt.blogspot.com/2007/07/saturday-field-trip.htmlQuite curious which Chicago-area university you work for, as my hubby went to the one who likes the color purple and is situated in Evanston. Love your blog. I've been lurking for a while :)

Lifelines are your friend. I am working on the Spring Shawl right now by Miller and I can't tell you how many times a bit of floss has saved me. And yes- the tinkerbell sized yarn is a pain in the arse.

My former ballerina cousin has had 3 kids (the youngest is 1) and she still doesn't have much ass to speak of.

I've never seen a real life wedding ring shawl, but I rather doubt it would fit through my size 3 wedding ring. Yes, no, maybe?

If you'd like, I have my best friend's wedding ring from when he married his husband. (He gave it to me before he died.) It is a size 14... do you think that'd be getting close? I can almost wear it as a bracelet...

And am I the only one who has had to resort using the handicapped word verification because the word ones are totally illegible anymore?

Yeah, what Paula said. Looks like there are quite a few of us who immediately thought the same thing. And if you're worrying about blades and mausoleum door locks, I'd suggest a supply of stakes. You can never be too careful!

I'm beginning to think a book about any panicky deadline dreams you may be having might be pretty darned good, too... Courage, mon brave!

The Kansas State Fair is in Hutchinson. Google maps tells me it's 176 miles from Topeka to State Fair Drive, or 2 hours and 47 minutes. (I live in Kansas, but not in Topeka. I bought alpaca yarn at the fair last fall.)

Obviously my mind is in the gutter, because there are plenty of larger rings (clean and dirty) that you should be able to pass the finished shawl through from the rings from milk containers carefully prepared to prevent snags on down.

I'm a firm believer in the therapeutic whine. The occasionaly therapeutic whine is perfectly acceptable and a healthy venting of built-up emotions. This is in stark contrast to the whining-because-I-can mode of irritating all those around you. So vent on when the need arises!

Meanwhile, regarding "Where do breasts go?"--trust me, I've been trying to figure out how to best arrange mine since I started developing them 25 years (or so) ago!

So since both grave and aigu are accent marks, the real question is which way they point, right? Imagine the alphabet is written out in front of you. The aigu (é) points towards the letter a and makes the e say a.That's how I learned it thirty-plus years ago and it's the only way I can remember it.

Love the blog and the boards! I kept laughing out loud. I'm glad I am not the only one who writes cryptic notes in margins. But am I the only one who saw the cartoon and thought "Franklin tied to his desk while he finishes the book? Then I saw the foot/sock and thought, "Oh, his editor's in there too. Must be down to the wire."

Love the blog and the boards! I kept laughing out loud. I'm glad I am not the only one who writes cryptic notes in margins. But am I the only one who saw the cartoon and thought "Franklin tied to his desk while he finishes the book? Then I saw the foot/sock and thought, "Oh, his editor's in there too. Must be down to the wire."

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